South Africa - Pretoria - 20 November 2023 - Chairperson of the Section 79 committee Cindy Billson, MMC for community and social development services Peggy de Bruin and Thabo Mokebe, divisional head of community and social development services at the launch of the new USSD platform designed to streamline the beneficiary registration process for those who wish to participate in the City’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Picture: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers
The City of Tshwane's new digitised registration system for recruiting Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers was beset by technical glitches a day after its launch on Monday.
The system was described by MMC for Community Social Development Services, Peggy de Bruin, as being user-friendly and accessible during its launch.
The would-be job-seekers between the ages of 18 and 60 years were asked to dial *120*5757# on a mobile phone to register for the EPWP.
However, hours after the system went live the municipality reported that it suddenly crashed due to high volume of registrations.
De Bruin said the registration system encountered technical glitches as it struggled to handle an unexpected high volume of registrations.
She said: “The system was designed to facilitate the registration process for EPWP beneficiaries and experienced a temporary crash, causing inconvenience for users. The technical team is working diligently to resolve the problem, and the City of Tshwane would like to assure the public that efforts are underway to restore the system to full functionality as soon as possible.”
She advised the EPWP beneficiaries and potential registrations to remain patient while the necessary repairs were being carried out.
The Pretoria News understands that the system eventually went back live after it experienced technical problems.
De Bruin said: “I would like to express regret for the inconvenience caused and want to emphasise the importance of the programme in uplifting communities and providing employment opportunities.”
She assured the public that steps would be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We are exploring options to enhance the system’s capacity to handle a higher volume of registrations and ensure a smoother user experience,” she said.
The system replaced an electronic lottery system previously used by the municipality for hiring EPWP job-seekers.
The then mayor Randall Williams hailed the lottery system for eliminating patronage in the recruitment process during its launch a year ago.
But, this week De Bruin found faults with the EPWP registration through the lottery system, saying it “has been a challenge, often causing delays and hindering the efficient implementation of the programme”.
According to her, the EPWP job recruitment USSD platform would eliminate the need for lengthy paperwork, making the registration process more efficient and convenient for all.
“We believe that this USSD platform will not only streamline the registration process but also enhance transparency and accountability,” she said.
She added that the City wanted to ensure that all information is captured accurately and securely, reducing the risk of errors or fraudulent activities.
“We firmly believe that every challenge presents an opportunity for innovation and change. The development of the USSD platform presents that opportunity,” she said.
Pretoria News
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